A CONTEMPORARY SPIRITUALITY

The likelihood of life on this tiny insignificant little planet is remote, human life even more so, and yet here I am. My life came as a gift to my parents They were involved in that happening, but not in control of it. They might have intended it, or not They might have hoped for it and been disappointed. New life always comes as a precarious and precious gift, not to be taken for granted I didn’t ask to be born. I didn’t choose to be here. My life is an experimental journey undertaken involuntarily. If it is undertaken involuntarily, then who/what caused it?  Not me.

I have come to understand that we are each called into existence by an unconditionally loving God, & sent on a journey in a beautiful but challenging world, with a body, a mind and a heart and a ‘God spark’ within us, aka our soul, as our guide/pilot. The journey has a destination: and our soul is there to guide us Home whence we came, bearing the gift of whom we have become.

Thomas Merton wrote “At the center of our being is a point of nothingness which is untouched by sin and by illusion, a point of pure truth, a point or spark which belongs entirely to God’. Elsewhere he describes it as “the transcendent source of our own subjectivity,” Rational thinking has its place, as does the unique subjective experience of our soul.

For Karl Jung the soul is not only the breath of human life. It is the breath of all life, the anima mundi, the animating life force of the universe. It is the vital spark in all things, distinct but not separate from our physicalness. Intuition, said Jung, is perception through our unconscious depths, whereas reason is perception through the conscious mind. Our conscious side is but the tip of an iceberg. Most of who we are is hidden in the waters of the unconscious. The light of the soul can be glimpsed in one another’s eyes and in the vitality of every life-form. We cannot define it, but we can know its stirrings and motions within us and in everything that has life. He refers to this as the “God-Image” deep in every person.

Our soul is hidden in plain sight, often not recognised, mostly not named. Its not easy to define or describe, but you can learn to recognise and trust it. It is a deep subjective inner knowing that we are not consciously in control of. Its intuitive and frequently guides our most important life decisions. We choose our friends and life partners, the work we do, the books we read, the films we watch, the places we visit, all manner of personal decisions, in a similar manner, based on a ‘just knowing.’ Its life giving and potentially your best friend, hence the saying ’let your soul be your pilot’.

Some have been brought up in an atmosphere in which they’ve learnt to distrust it. Some certainly seem to find it easier to access than others. Many people have spent most of their lives trusting it without ever having named it. But those who have both recognised and named for themselves could be a good guide in helping you to do so too.

So how can we nourish our soul, the God within us? There are many possibilities. Perhaps your soul will guide you to explore one or two of the following?.

1          Because God is loving and good, pleasurable activities will nurture your soul. This is so simple and obvious yet we’ve often been brought up to believe the opposite. So prioritise things that make you happy.

2          Be good at what you are good at and take pleasure and satisfaction in being/doing it. Don’t repress your life force.

3          Do something creative, anything, even something seemingly simple like tidying a room or cooking a meal.

4          We each have a natural way into a contemplative place of being, where we feel at peace with ourselves and the world. Take time to reflect, ruminate, be curious. Be patient and willing to wait. Be open to the unexpected, be suspicious of normality. Follow what catches your eye

5          Be open to the wisdom in dreams, visions, synchronicity, serendipity, and spiritual experience: 

6          Practise listening to, trusting and acting on your intuition.                       

7          Cultivate negative capability, being at ease with doubt, mystery & uncertainty. Soul appears in the gaps and holes of experience. Soul prefer questions to answers. Do nothing, welcome an empty space.  Don’t rush to fill it

8          Failure & complexity, betrayals & losses serve the soul. Soul power may emerge from failure, depression & loss. There are no failures, just learning opportunities. The presence and thriving of your soul in part depends upon mortifying experiences. 

9          Ask your soul, the part of you that longs for God and the divine, for meaning and purpose in your life? How are you and what do you need? See it as a conversation between you and the God within you.

10        The arts nourish the soul: poetry, literature, music, painting, sculpture are all potentially food for your soul. They feed your imagination and lead you into the world beyond the rational.

11        Seek the company of those to whom your soul draws you, soul friends. A soul friend may be able to support and encourage you in nourishing your soul.

12        Throw away any sense of ‘original sin’. We were blessed by God at our creation. Live out of that sense of blessing.